


Starry Sky

by Underestimated_amateur



Category: TMNT (2007), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (2014), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2003), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012), Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles - All Media Types
Genre: AU where there's no Foot Clan or Kranng, Blind! Leo, Boys Kissing, Coming Out, Developing Relationship, Discussions of sexuality, Donnie and Leo are brothers, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Growing Up, Human AU, M/M, Mentions of Live Changing Accidents, No Incest, Protective bro! Donnie, Raph and Mikey are step bros, Romance, family love, growing as a person, slight angst
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2016-07-01
Packaged: 2018-04-03 05:06:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 17,984
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4088023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Underestimated_amateur/pseuds/Underestimated_amateur
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Leonardo was not born blind. He used to be able to see the sky above, people, colors, everything. But through the loss of sight he's learned to "see" the world and people differently. It's not a disadvantage to be blind, it's just a different way to live. Leo just wishes others could see it that way too.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. First Impressions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leonardo was not born blind. He used to be able to see the sky above, people, colors, everything. But through the loss of sight he's learned to "see" the world and people differently. It's not a disadvantage to be blind, it's just a different way to live. Leo just wishes others could see it that way too.

Leonardo sighed and adjusted his sunglasses as he walked down the loud, cramped streets of New York, his right hand pressed against the walls of the buildings as he walked. He didn't think he would need his cane for this short trip. 'A few more paces til the corner of the street, then I'll turn right and passes three more buildings and I should be there.' He mentally directed himself. He's been going to the same Japanese noodle shop for years now and knows the directions by heart. As he turned the corner a sudden force knocked him back and flat onto his butt. "Aye I'm walkin' here. Watch where you're going! Stupid kid." Someone, a gruff older man from the way he sounds, shouted angrily. Leo leaned against the building as he helped himself up. Watch where he was going? That almost made him smile.  
  
_________________________________________  
  


The delicious smells of noodles and other goods filled his nostrils even before he reached the small Japanese restaurant. The owner was Mr. Murakami, a forever good friend of Leo. They have a lot in common and he makes one of Leo's most favorite meals: Pizza Gyoza (perfectly, Leo might add). The tiny bell above the door rings, alerting everyone around of his presence when he walks inside, greeting, "Konnichiwa*, Murakami-sama*". He knows the said man from behind the counter has turned to face him with a warm welcoming smile Leo also knows is there. He wouldn't be Mr. Murakami if he didn't.  


"Oh, konnichiwa, Leonardo-san.*" He then chuckles quietly to himself. "As formal as ever I see." Leonardo smiled as he sat down with little struggle. By now he's mapped out the almost the entire structure of the small noodle shop in his mind, almost as well as his own home. "Where is your cane, Leo-san? Your brother will not be pleased to know you didn't bring it with you when you went out." Right. If he had brought his cane with him, Murakami would've been able to hear it smack against the wooden floor as he walked then heard him set it against his seat as he sat down. As much as he wanted to frown or listen to his more stubborn side that wanted to say something childish like, 'I'm not helpless. I do not need it 24/7', he just shook his head, even though Murakami couldn't see him do it.  


"Donnie worries over everything these days. I'll be alright Murakami-sama. After all, the blind can not start to lose faith in the blind, right?" It was a bitter-sweet joke that was shared only between the two of them. "Hai*, I suppose that is true." Murkami replies, Leo could hear the hint of a smile in the man's tone.  


"I'll have your meal ready for you in a minute, Leonardo-san. By the way, I'm expecting some more friends of mine to come in today. Perhaps you'll meet them. They're names are Michaelangleo and Raphael." Leonardo hears the chopping of food; Murakami went back to work.  


"Oh? Well it's possible." He responds nonchalantly, never being much other a people person.  


"Hai." Murakami agreed, and continued on making conversation. "They order the same meal as you every time." There was a new sound of something being plopped into boiling water, adding to the sounds of Murkami's work. There weren't any noises of people conversing or silver wire clattering against plates, so he must be the only consumer right now. "So they have good taste." He comments off-handedly, resting his arms on the counter. An impolite gesture, the first impolite thing he's done today. His father would've scolded him if he was here, Leo was sure. He blames the calming atmosphere the shop and Murakami makes. Things were easier here. Leo couldn't really complain though. He had a good home, a strict but caring father, and a smart, though too over-protective brother. He just wishes he could see it all.  


His thoughts ceased when the door to the noodle shop slammed open. "Hey Murakami! It's us! How ya been dude?!" A loud bubbly voice boomed through the quiet mostly empty room. It caught Leo off guard slightly. What New Yorker was that cheerful?  


"Yo, ya in here old man?" Another voice called out as Leo heard them step inside. This one was different, more low and deep and had more of a Brooklyn accent than a New York one. He liked it. Both of the new arrivals sounded male. Leo heard Murakami turn and greet them.  


"Hello Michaelangelo-san, Raphael-san. Please have a seat and I'll get you your meals as soon as I can." There was a small chorus of compliance as the duo sat down, one of them next to Leo.  


"Nice shades dude!" The one next to him complemented, but who was he talking to? Leo had sunglasses, but he was fairly sure so did Murakami. Neither him or Murakami answered, probably for the same reason of confusion. "Um, hello? Guy with the dark hair?" He did dark hair, but did Murakami? Then again Murakami sounded a lot older so maybe not. He couldn't tell, he's never seen Murakami before.  


"Hey! Mr. Lean, slender, and mysterious, he's talkin' to you!" The other stranger cut it, clearly annoyed. Leonardo was positive who they meant now.  


Even though he still couldn't physically see them, he subconsciously turn his head in their direction. "Sorry," He responded respectively, "I wasn't sure who you were speaking to." The one who complemented him laughed slightly before replying, "It's alright Bro, anyways, I'm Michaelangelo, but call me Mikey! Nice to meet you! Oh and this is my grumpy soon-to-be step brother, Raphael–"  


"Raph's fine." The other, Raph, gruffly cutting him off.  


Leonardo nodded his head in greeting. People still do that right? "Hello Mikey, Raph. My name is Leonardo, but just Leo is easier."  


"Alright, nice to meet you, Leo!" Mikey exclaimed happily, his cheerfulness radiating off of him.  


"Nice to meet you two as well." There was an awkward silence then, causing Leo to feel a bit uncomfortable. Did he do something wrong? "Uh..." Mikey began awkwardly, but stopped himself and Leo could hear him dropping his hand onto his lap. Oh, so he wanted to shake hands. Without much thought, Leo extended his hand out to the friendly other apologetically. "It's a uh, pleasure." He muttered awkwardly. Mikey took his hand in a flash and gave it a eagered shake.  


"Same here!" The cheerfulness was back in his voice and he laughed, "You're a weird one huh?"  


"Like you have room ta talk." His... soon-to-be(?) brother spoke up after the small while of his silence. Leo almost forgot he was there. Had he just been sitting there watching them talk? Or was he just nonchalantly putting in his word, not really caring about the conversation? Usually Leo could tell by the tone of voice, but Raph's was a bit harder to figure out.  


"Here are your meals." Murakami announced, setting each dish down one by one. "Cool we got the same thing!" Mikey pointed out as they all picked up their chopsticks to eat.  


"Itadakimasu.*" Leonardo murmured quietly before digging into his pizza like dumplings.  


"Uh, Ita-taki-mas!" Mikey tried to copy before digging in as well.  


"Whatever." Raph mumbled, taking a bite out of his his dumpling. A chorus of 'Mmmm' filled the room after the first bites.  


"Sooo good! Murakami you are da beeest." Mikey practically moaned. Raph grunted in approval and Leo merely hummed in agreement. He could hear the male next to him gobbling down on his dumplings, but stop to let out a burp. Leonardo crinkled his nose in distaste. 'Gross.' He thought. Still, he wanted to be nice. They were Murakami's friends and he respected the older man's judgment.  
  
_______________________________________________  
  


Lunch with the two new teens went... ok. Mikey was more than happy to talk to him, sounding even more excited when he found anything they had in common. Raph seemed to warm up a bit to him too, with a little (a lot) of persistence from his step-brother. They weren't as bad as they seemed. It was nice to talk to someone new, besides his own brother, father, and Mr. Murakami. He loved his family to pieces, and Mr. Murakami was practically family as well, sometimes the constant worrying and nagging was just too much though. Murakami tried not be openly over bearing, knowing how it can personally feel to be blind, but he could tell the man had many worries for him. Leo couldn't necessarily blame them, but he didn't have to admit it and that only further fueled his frustration.  


"Hey, I'll be right back, gotta go use the little boy's room!" Mikey excused himself, getting up to go do just that. Leo heard him trot away as he took the last bite of his meal. Standing up from his seat, he took out his wallet and opened it up. One dollar bills had their corners folded, five dollars bills were folded hamburger style, tens were folded hot dog style, and twentys weren't folded at all.  


He set the right amount on the counter and turned to leave, calling out to Murakami, "Gochisou sama, Shitsurei shimasu!*"  


"Sayōnara*, Leonardo-san." As he begun to leave he heard the doors to the noodle shop open and before there was a chance for him to react, the new stranger slammed into him, knocking on the floor. He felt his sun glasses slip off his face and heard them crash onto the floor somewhere.  


"Aye, watch it, Punk." The (from what Leo can tell) man snapped and walked around him, not bothering to offer any help. Leo frowned and started patting the ground around him for his glasses. Some people are just sour, there's nothing he could do about that.  


"Here." A voice offered, Leo quickly recognized it has Raph's. A hand clasped underneath his, it had a rough feel, the kind hard work and the tough labors of life can give people, Leo knows, but there was a firm grip to it. He liked that too. Raph placed something in his hand, and after a quick feel Leo realized it was his sunglasses.  


"Are you ok?" He sound a bit concerned if Leo didn't know any better.  


"Yes, thank you." Neither of them moved from their place on the floor, but Raph brushed Leo's smooth dark hair from his face. "You're blind." He commented then snorted through his nose. "Course ya are, it was obvious. Kinda stupid I didn't see it before."  


Leo only shrugged, breaking the weird spell over the two of them, he pulled his hand away and stood up. "I need to go." He informed.  


"Can I have yer number?" The other asked, sounding blurted out without any real thought.  


Leo put his glasses back on. "I don't have a cell home, but I can give you my home phone if you'd like." At this moment, if anyone asked him what he was doing, he wouldn't know how to answer. Why was he giving his number out? Who knows. Besides, Raph could've just sat in his sit and watch him crawl around of the floor looking for his glasses, but he didn't. That gives him some credit at least.  


"Yeah, I think I'd like d'at. I'll give you my cell, maybe someone can call it for ya?"  


Leo smiled. "Yes, that'll work."  
  
That day, Leo returned home with a smile on his face, a full stomach, and a slip of paper in his pocket.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Translations  
> *Konnichiwa- formal way to say hello  
> *Sama- a sulfex used at the end of a name to show great respect  
> *San- a respect sulfex used at the end of a name  
> *Hai- yes, or form of an agreement  
> *Sayōnara- Goodbye  
> *Gochisou sama- "Thank you for the delicious meal!"  
> *Shitsurei shimasu- formal goodbye phrase meaning: “I’m being rude by leaving your presence.”


	2. Cherry blossoms

"I can't believe you did that!" Leo simply sighed through his nose and continued his attempt to mediate on the floor of his and Donatello's shared bedroom. Though it was hard with a certain brother of his ranting over his shoulder about one little thing he did, even though he didn't necessarily see the problem. 

"Leo, are you even listening to me?" Donatello accused, Leo could hear the tapping of his foot and practically see the teen frowning down at him, like a parent to a child, with his hands on his hips. It wasn't like he tried to worry Donnie so much, he knew his brother only worried because he cared, but he hadn't ever planned on letting his loss of sight turn him into a helpless victim. Then again, if their situations were switched, he was sure he'd be even more over-sheltering than his brother ever could be. 

"Donnie, I'm fine. There is nothing to worry about." He tried to reason. 

"Nothing to worry about? Leo, you went out without telling anybody, without your cane, and were gone for hours! You do realize you were given a cane for a reason right? BECAUSE YOU NEED IT."

Leonardo sighed again, this time without even trying to muffle it through his nose. "Alright, I'm sorry. I don't... mean to scare you like this. It's just- I'm the older brother here, if anything it should be me worrying over you."

It was Donnie's turn to sigh. He found a spot on the floor by Leo, sitting back to back with him. "I'm fine, there's nothing to worry over on my end. You may be eighteen and fresh out of high school, but you're still too old to act like a little, rebellious child." 

"And you're still too young to act like an overbearing mother, especially for a seventeen year old." Leo quipped back coolly.

Ever since the accident years ago, Donatello has tried to be like a shadow to him. At first it was frustrating, Leo was always the independent and reserved type, even as a kid, and to suddenly have someone over your shoulder all the time and to actually need said person sometimes, it was a hard concept to get used to and even harder to accept. 

Donnie rested the back of his head on Leo's shoulder. "You don't understand." He divulged in a more hushed, weary tone. Leo slide off his sunglasses and clipped him onto the collar of his shirt. 

"Then help me to understand." He replied.

With a deep breath, Donnie began, "The day you were in the accident and was rushed to the hospital, was the day I thought I'd lose you forever. It was a terrifying experience. To watch my best friend, my only brother, be hit by a car then drove to the hospital in an ambulance, to see my eight year old brother lay there in a gurney, it terrified me and Splinter. Then we were told that you would live, but the collision had caused you to suffer a specific amount of brain injury and had in turn had caused you to lose your sight permanently. What I'm trying to say is, Ani*, I had came so close to losing you once, I don't want that situation to occur again."

Leo remained silent, thinking through what Donnie had said carefully. Over the years it never occurred to him what the reason for his brother's protective behavior might be until he heard it from Donnie himself. Shifting in his seat, Leo turned to to face his direction and sat on his knees. He reached out and found Donnie's shoulders. Knowing what Leonardo was trying to do, Donnie wrapped his arms around his brother's waist, pulling them into a hug. Leo followed suit, wrapping his own arms around Donatello's shoulders. The younger brother of the dynamic duo smiled in appreciation and brotherly affection, knowing the other one of them wasn't big on touch.

The silent apology between them was unspoken, but not unnoticed.  
Less than a minute later they pulled away. Leo smiled a bit nervously and subconsciously played with the small, thin piece of paper in his jacket pocket, tracing his thumb over what he was sure was the numbers.

"What's up, Leo?" Donnie asked, ever observant. He must have noticed Leo's change in mood. Leo shifted in his seat once again, finding it more comfortable to sit Indian style*. "I met someone at Murakami's today, well two people actually." He explained. 

Donnie gave a short pause then spoke up, "Ok, what were their names? Explain further." Leo nodded and began telling him what had happened at their favorite noodle place. Donnie seemed to listen carefully, never interrupting except with an occasional hum for Leo to continue on. 

Only when he was sure Leo had finished his story did he queried, "And you just gave our home phone number to some guy you met at a noodle shop – just like that?" 

"Yes, I suppose I did. He gave me his cell phone number too." Leo nodded.

Donnie let out a I'm-so-done-with-you kind of sigh and, if he hasn't grown out of it, Leo could imagine him massaging his forehead with his index finger and thumb as he tries to wrap his mind around the new information (or better yet, probably in his opinion, how Leo could be so stupid). It was a bit funny, back when he could actually see Donnie do it. Watching a six or seven year old use such a mature gesture when frustrated was probably some what entertaining to a lot of people; mainly adults. Then again, Donatello wasn't ever really a normal kid, even as child he excelled in educational academics and scientific works of, well, pretty much everything. He was the family's 'genius', and proud to have the role. And he should be proud, Leo thinks. If anyone was worthy of the title; it's Donatello. He planned to become an inventor one day. Leo thinks that's perfect.

"If you're not secretly wishing to be an only child too hard, I have a favor." The oldest sibling wryly requested, unknowingly pulling off one of the best blank faces ever. 

"Oh? Do tell." There was something in Donnie's tone that only partly made Leo feel like he was once again a mere child, but he continued anyways. 

"I want to go to Central Park, but Father doesn't want me to go alone. So I would appreciate it if you can with me." He requested.

"Why do you want to go there?" Donnie asked in confusion, but with interest. 

"I want to visit the cherry blossoms there*. They bloom around this time of year right? I want to see them." See obviously in a non-literal sense of course. 

"I see, it's been a while since we've gone, hasn't it." It wasn't a question, they both already knew it was true. It's been four years actually since their family has went and seen them. It used to be a tradition to go every year and greet the newly bloomed trees. The cherry blossoms reminded them of their own Japanese blood. Something Donnie and Leo never got to experienced personally, having grown up in New York all their life. 

Leonardo would be lying if he said he didn't miss the sight of them. He missed the sight of a lot of things. Remembering what all the colors looked like would be nice. He remembers blue: his favorite since he knew what colors were (Blue was like the ocean or sometimes the sky), green: like the grass and tree leaves before fall, black: a dark mysterious endless void (or the color of his hair, he remembers Donnie telling him), pink: the color of the cherry blossom pedals, and, vaguely, purple: Donnie's favorite color. Any other colors were gone to him. 

He wished he knew what Donnie looked like now all grown up. Did he still have a bit of a baby face? He heard someone somewhere say there as you grow some people's hair becomes a more darker shade. Did that apply to Donnie as well? He wished he knew what his Father looked like now. Maybe his hair was a bit whiter? What about Murakami? He could paint a mental picture in his mind, but it was never the same. As Leo's mind drifted onto the subject, he wondered...

What does Raph look like?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> -Translations/helpful info  
> *Ani- big brother  
> *Indian style- Just another word for sitting 'criss-cross applesauce' style. I felt the need to explain, because seriously none of my friends understood this term, so I was just making sure.  
> *There are, in fact, cherry blossom trees in Central Park!


	3. What he likes

"Leo, are you ready?" Donnie called, knocking twice on their door before opening it. "Not yet." The said male replied, standing before his bed half naked with jeans and socks on with a shirt in hand. Donnie's eyes widen slightly in horror at the piece of clothing. 

"You're not wearing that." He stated. Leo frowned, "I appreciate the concern, but it's not like I have much interest in looks. Besides, everything else is in the wash." 

"That's why I'm here. I'm not sure whether to call that a laundry mishap or the worst tye-dyed shirt of all man kind. Leo, it's a whole mess of red, white, and pink. Even you don't want to wear that." He stated matter if factory, snatching it out of his brother's hands and throwing it in the trash. Where did Leo even find that monstrosity? 

Leonardo would've argued, if Donnie was wrong. Turning around, he heard the brainiac dig through his own clothes and pulled out a shirt. "Here, wear one of mine." He offered, tossing the shirt to Leo, it landing perfectly on his head. The older male only gave a quiet grunt of disapproval, being far too used to his brother's antics.

"Donetello, I need to tell you something." Leo murmured just loud enough for the other to hear. He takes the shirt off his head and pulls each of his arms through their correct holes of the long sleeved shirt he was given. 

"What about, Leo? And you have it on inside out." He hears Donnie say from across the room. He takes the thing off and fixes the problem, pulling the sleeves outside in. Sliding the shirt back on, he pulls at and straightens it so it's more comfortable to wear.  
He knows Donnie's waiting patiently for an answer, and if he keeps him waiting too long for one his brother will start trying to coax it out of him. 

"You know you can tell me anything, right? Whatever it is you can talk to me about it." Donnie commented softly.

Called it. 

Taking a deep breath and exhaling, Leo sat down on the his bed, the closest one of the two to the door. When they first moved into this old place Donnie was only three and wanted the bed closest to the window. Leo was glad he gave it to him back then, and it wasn't like he could see anything out of it now. Sometimes though, he sits at the desk that's next to the small window. And he'll listen. Just listen to the cars, people, and other city noises below. Everyday around three the little old lady next to them would walk her small dog. Leo could hear the little fuzzball yap happily as they walked. He never had spoken to her in person though. 

Leo felt in the spotlight and he knew he had Donnie's full attention. With a sigh he finally spoke, "I think I'm gay."

A pause, then, "You think?" 

"I know." 

"How do you know?" 

Leo suppressed another sigh. Donnie seemed like he wasn't going to make this conversation any easier. He didn't sound against it, but he didn't seem thrilled either. He kept his voice neutral, something Leo wishes he wouldn't do. It made it hard to understand how he feels about certain things, and he knows Donnie does purposely for that reason. In all honesty he didn't want to have this conversation at ALL. But... he needed to tell someone and Donnie was the only one he could trust besides their dad. And while their dad is kind hearted, he's a bit, well.... old fashioned. He need Donnie to understand. "I have my reasons." 

"Explain them to me." Was all Donnie said. Leo steeled his nerves. This may take awhile and he wasn't sure where to even begin. He felt the matress lower slightly next to him, the rickety old springs making a protest at the new weight. Donnie had sat next to him, their knees bumping together. "I'm not against it Leo, it's your life and if that's your preference then I'm fine with it. I see nothing wrong with homosexuality. I'm merely curious how you figured it out when you don't have sight."

Leonardo felt himself release a breath of relief he didn't know he was holding in and his shoulders relaxed. So he hasn't morally disgusted his only brother and best friend. Good. "So," Donnie began, "How did you figure this out?" 

"I have other senses." 

"I'm aware of that yes."

"I just... I always thought breast felt weird," He began awkwardly, "Like when girls hug you and they're, uh, pressed up against you. It feels weird." He admitted quietly, a hint of pink hue forming at his cheeks. 

"And girl's voices are usually high pitched and squeaky, it tends to irritate me if I'm honest. A lot of girls back in high school always wore so much scented stuff too." He unknowingly made a face at that. "Too much lotion, perfume, body spray, I never really like that stuff."

"Ok, so the female gender isn't your cup of tea. That doesn't mean your gay, you could be asexual." His brother commented. Leo was grateful how well Donnie was taking this and how easy it actually was to talk with him about it. 

"I thought so too, at one point, but I then started to realize a lot more about myself and what I liked." He said, biting his bottom lip.

"And what do you like Leo?" Donnie asked. 

"I like the way guys sound, how a lot of guys have a deeper tone than girls. I like how guys smell." He coughed into a fist, trying to hide his slightly flustered state before continuing. It was embarrassing talk about all of this. "As strange as it sounds. I even like how guys smell after working out and they put on Axe to try and cover their B.O. I like how a guy's muscles feel; their impressive builds girls don't usually have. I rather have pecs over boobs any day." 

Donnie was quiet for a minute, letting the noise of the city outside fill the room. Leo tried not to fidget anxiously when his brother spoke softly, voice laced with concern, "*Ani, how did you figure all this out?" 

Leo licked his dry lips nervously and gripped the hem of his shirt tightly. "I've done some things with a guy before." He admitted, hanging his head.

"With Usagi?" Was Donnie immediate answer. Leo was just as quick to tell him no. Usagi Yojimbo was Leo's best friend throughout his entire middle school and later on high school life. He was around Leo's age and had came from Japan. Unlike the two brothers who were part American, Usagi was born and grown in Japan with solely Japanese blood. Him and Leo hit it off instantly and became quick friends, but that's all they were: friends. 

"Then who?" Donnie asked, sounding a bit more panicked this time. 

"Remember Spike?"

"Leo you didn't." 

Leo didn't say anything else and he anticipated the silence that followed this time. He felt Donnie squirm uncomfortably next to him before the younger male let out a tired muffled sigh. He must have his face in his hands. "You and Spike – Spike and you — the two of you had sexual intercourse." He struggled to process it. 

"No, we never went all the way, just fooled around." Leo tried to reassured him, but he knew it wouldn't really help.

"I don't think I can believe you for numerous of reasons. One, I couldn't ever fathom you doing something so... so..." He trailed off, unable to find the right word. Instead he just continued, "And second, Spike? You did those things with SPIKE. That doesn't sound like you at all."

Leo shrugged softly. "We both had unanswered questions about our sexualities and at the time it seemed like an ok idea. It was a bit reckless and I should have been more careful, I admit that, but overall I don't regret doing it."

____________________________________

Spike was... well, never quite a friend, but definitely not an enemy, at least not in the end of their little adventure of high school. They had met Freshman year, both fresh out of different middle schools. The two had very few similarities and major differences, making them quick to butt heads often. It didn't help they had nearly every class and lunch together. 

Leo had always tried his hardest in every study; school can be a lot harder when you are legally blind. He showed up to class on time every single time, did all his homework, and stayed after school each day with his studies. When he got home, his brother and him would go over the notes he took for the day. He never interrupted class and always did what he was supposed to. It was something he just thought he had to do. His father always told him if a public school was too hard for him, he could always go to a school for kids like him, kids who were blind or deaf or had something else wrong with them, but Leo would always declined. Nothing was wrong with him, he was just different.

Spike had more rough edges and a quicker temper then Leo, coming from the most rugged streets of New York City. A height of 6'3" and muscles of a football player is what he had to show for all the years he had to take care of himself, something he was proud of. He walked around every corner of school with an air of confidence and look that said he didn't trust anyone. He was snarky and didn't seem to take school seriously. He didn't understand the smaller blind boy who sat next to him in most of his classes. The one who hardly never matched his clothes and always typed away on a laptop with a braille keyboard. He never understand why the guy never spoke to anyone but that one weird foreign kid with even weirder white hair, never took a step back and wondered why the hell he even bothered, and never went home at the right time with everyone else. And he really never understood why the guy always walked around with a stick up his ass or why the teachers always used him as an example to delinquents like him ("That's enough Spike, why can't you be more like Leo here?"). So in short, Leo confused Spike as much as Spike did him.

Come Sophomore year the two thought they'd finally be rid of each other. Only soon realized; however, that was far from the truth. The first day of school Leo walked into his Advance English II class and sat down in the first available seat he found. The moment he had made himself comfortable a voice next to him spoke, "Oh hell no. Sit somewhere else, Lame-nardo." He remembers freezing in place at the familiar voice. Spike.

The insult didn't bother him. It was fact Spike was HERE, in this class. In ADVANCE English II. For a moment, Leo wondered if Usagi brought him to the wrong room. Or maybe.... maybe Spike wasn't as dumb as Leo put him out to be. Leonardo snorted. "What?" Spike growled.

"Nothing. It's just that if you're smart enough to be in this class, I expect a better insult from you. Try harder next time."

In a instant Spike had opened his mouth, ready to snap at him, but then stop short, the other's words finally registering through his brain. It had been more of a compliment than an insult really and the most Leo's ever spoken to him at once. Spiked furrowed his eyebrows in confusion. This kid... "You're weird, you know that?" 

Leo turned his head, even if he couldn't see the other directly, and cocked his head to the side. "And you're normal?"

"......."

"......."

"I see your point, Short-stake." 

Leo busted into a fit of laughter, trying to muffle it with his hand. It was the first time the taller male even saw the kid smile. Spike smirked. Maybe Leonardo wasn't so bad after all. 

"That was a terrible one too!" 

Spike frowned. Or maybe not.

Oddly enough, that's when things took a shift in a different direction between the two.   
___________________________________

 

Looking back now, Leo realizes, they probably were some sort of friends.

"So, you two dated? For how long?" Donnie asked with a mix of confusion and disbelief, bringing Leo from his thoughts.

"Not dated, just messed around together sometimes." Leo corrected. "And we started towards the end of Sophomore year and continued throughout the rest of high school." 

"Oh." Leo flopped down on his back, arms resting on his stomach. He felt Donnie copy him then turn onto his side. They were quiet for a moment. 

"Did you like him?" Donnie finally asked. Leo thought it over and shook his head. "No, not like that."

"Did he like you?" 

"No, I'm pretty sure he never liked me like that."

"Then why do something like that together?" Donnie shot back curiously. It reminds Leo of when they were younger. Donnie's first word was "Why?" followed later by "How?", "What?", "When?", and "Where?" Everything he came in contact with he had over a million questions about it. He had always had a curious mind. A mind that wanted to know everything and break things down to their very core until he know how every little piece made it tick.

"I think because it was safe. He didn't want anyone to know he might like guys just as much as girls and I didn't care for anyone at school to know I liked guys. We had a neutral understanding. It was just easier too, having no strings attached. And we were pretty close to each other's type of guys we prefered. Though he did tell me once that it was too bad I wasn't just a bit more muscular."

"And what did you tell him?" 

Leo grinned. "That we're even then, because it was too bad he didn't smell a little better."

The two snickered together, there in their cramped little room they had share most of their lives in, and briefly Leo thought about of lucky he was to have a brother like Donnie. Unbeknownst to Leo, Donnie was thinking the same thing about him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations/Important Info.
> 
> *Ani: Big Brother
> 
> *Annnnd I'm back! So, yeah, Spike/Leo happened. I don't know how, he just sort of did. Please feel free to leave a comment! I'll make my day and it honestly motivates me to update faster.  
> Hope you enjoyed, until next time! ;)


	4. Some sort of fate(?)

"Need any help?" Donnie asked, trying not to hover over Leo's shoulder. Or the every least trying not to get caught doing it. Too bad Leo wasn't born yesterday. "I'm more than capable of making cereal, Donnie, and no matter how many mornings you ask me, I always will." 

"Someone's rather sassy this morning." 

"I'm not sassy." Leo denied without hesitation. He sat the cereal box down to left of his bowl and patted around the table space on the right for the milk, frowning when he couldn't find it. It was right there a second ago...

"Sure, sure." Donnie let him have it (this time) and Leo heard him walk over to the fridge, probably to get the orange juice. It was either O.J. or coffee in the morning for that guy, something Leo didn't understand. Coffee was terrible. It wasn't until he hear the sound of someone idly shaking a half empty jug around did he realize he'd been played.

"Oh sorry, did you still need this?" The guilty culprit teased. Crossing his arms over his chest, he commanded Donnie to give it back. The younger sibling obeyed with a chuckle.

"Here." He said, handing over the jug, "I'll be right back, got to go retrieve my phone from charge. Eat your breakfast and I'll be right back, then we can go." He informed, leaving the small area where they jammed a round table into and called it a kitchen and headed upstairs to their room. Leo listened to each step his brother took. He only counted eleven 'thumps' and figured Donnie must have skipped the last one. After sitting down in one of the chairs and pouring the milk into his bowl, he took a spoonful into his mouth only to make his face twist with bitterness and drop the spoon back into the bowl with a 'flunck'.

Though reluctant, he forced himself to swallow what was already in his mouth. Donnie must have not realized the milk had went sour before giving it back.

Getting up from his seat with his bowl in one hand and milk carton in the other, Leo sat the bowl in the sink and ran water through it. Next he reached down for cabinet under the sink and opened the cupboard where their trash can was hidden inside. He promptly dropped the milk carton in the trash bin and glared in it's direction like it had betrayed him.

He didn't want cereal anyways, toast sounded so much more trustworthy right now.

With that thought in mind, Leo patted around the counter top for the loaf of bread Donnie never remembers to put back in the same place he found it. 

That had turned out to be an even bigger mistake on his part.

 

_________________________________________

 

 

"That's it, I draw the line here! I here by officially ban you from the toaster due to your inability to use it properly!" Donnie huffed as he examined the poor machine. It had finally stopped smoking and making pitiful sounds a few minutes ago. Who ruins a toaster three times in a roll?! From the kitchen table Leo frowned and crossed his arms over his chest in protest. "Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I do not know how to use a toaster."

"I'm not banning you because you're blind, I'm banning you because you're you." Donnie retorted bluntly, putting his foot down in the matter. "Stay seated there and I'll just make us both some scrambled eggs." 

Leo stared straight ahead with a frown still glued onto his lips. "I can make my own eggs Don, I've done it before." Given, he did find something crunchy in them last time– which Donnie was quick to point out were egg shells. But they were still edible, everyone had to at least give him that. 

"Just sit there quietly Leo. You've already lost all my trust in this."  

The older brother wasn't too keen on being bossed around, but Donnie was taking him were he wanted to go today. So he'd let it go for now and sit quietly like a good little boy. For now, at least.

 

_________________________________________

 

"Donatello, you don't need to hold my hand." Leo told him as they walked down New York's streets. They were already pressed tightly together, trying to fight the sea of people. There was pushing, shoving, and crusing all around them. Leo didn't understand the need to always be in such a rush, but he figured that was just New York for you. In the distance, mixed in with all the other many sounds the bustling city offered, Leo heard a police siren. Vaguely, he wondered where 'the boys in blue', he heard them called once, where headed and if they could make it in time. Violence and injustice was always something that never settled right in his stomach. 

He remembers when he and Donnie were younger his dad would watch the news a lot. Sometimes, almost a year after losing his sight, Leo would sit down on the couch next to his father and quietly listen to the daily news with him, growing more and more upset with each passing story. His father, Yoshi, would only comment sadly about how unsafe the world outside can be and how they have to be careful, but other than that the man didn't speak. Leo didn't really understand then why the world was like that, but he never asked. He remembers feeling like he didn't belong to the life around him anyhow. Like he was there, but not completely apart of it. It was a world he couldn't see, a world he couldn't fully be apart of. It hurt thinking that, but Leo didn't ever bring it up with anyone.

Throughout the years however, with a bit of opening up to Donnie, self-therapy, and actual therapy, he begin to learn differently. That maybe it was ok if he couldn't see, because he could still hear, smell, taste, feel, and think. He was still apart of the world and he still mattered just as much. And yeah, maybe he'd have to try a little harder than most. Maybe he had to give a little more, but it was fine. He already did that anyways. He always looked for improvement in himself. He would keep trying. If not for himself, then at least for his father and Donnie. 

After a while, he would sit and listen to the news man or woman until Donnie dragged him off to their room. Where his little brother spent the time distracting him from his sad thoughts with his little discoveries and plans to be an 'Awesome Genius' when he grew up. He'd babble on with ideas to solve world hunger, end wars, time travel, somehow make it to were everyone was considered equal, and whatever else his mind thought up. Leo would sit on one of their beds and listen to him. Telling him he could do it and that he believed in Donnie with a grin on his face. Cause to Leo, Donnie was the most serious kid he ever knew.

And he wouldn't mind being apart of a world Donnie talked about.

"What are thinking about?" Donnie asked him suddenly, bringing him out of his thoughts. They stood, crammed in a small crowd and waiting for an opportunity to walk across the street. Someone accidentally elbowed Leo's side, but he ignored it. 

With a shrug the oldest replied, "Nothing important."

"That smile on your face says otherwise." He retorts, but lets it go and they fall back into a blissful silence in the loud city. Leo lets himself be drag through the streets and crowds. It's, at least it feels like it is, almost an hour before Donnie's stopping them and announcing they're here. He takes Leo's hand and places it on the bark of one of the trees. It feels cold and rough against his palm, but he smiles. 'Brown', he remembers, 'Tree bark is brown.' He can't remember what the color looks like, but brown is the tree bark of cherry blossoms (and every other tree.) Brown is Donnie's morning coffee. Brown is the color of Donnie's hair and eyes. Brown is... rough and sturdy, but can be sooth and soft.

"Leo, is that you dude!?" A voice shout, pulling him from his thoughts yet again today. The voice sounded familiar, but he couldn't put a name to it. 

"Friends of yours?" Donnie asked cautiously. Leave it to him to play Mama bear. Leo caught the use of the plural term for the word, 'friends', but didn't say anything on it. He only shrugged. They seem to know him at least. 

Then, suddenly, arms were wrapping around his mid-section tightly. He froze, not understanding what was going on. Donnie wouldn't hug him out of the blue like that. Who was this? Where was Donnie? What did the person want? Why were they doing this? Confused and in a slight fit of panic, Leo would like to believe the next thing he did made complete and utter sense. 

He hit the person hugging him with his cane. 

They yelped and fell to the ground with a loud, "Ok, oowwwww. That hurt, Man, not cool." The person groaned in pain. 

There was a second voice then, full of rage, "What da fuck's goin' on here!?" And for the second time today, Leo freezes. That out of place Brooklyn accent, he remembers it. Raph. So the one on the ground must be... 

Guilt washes over him and he doesn't hesitate to bend down and help the poor male up. "I'm sorry. I didn't know it was you and someone just automatically hugging me when I can't see who they are–" 

"'S okay, Dude. No biggie." Mikey laughed, then winced. "Okay well, I'll definitely feel that in the morning, but I'm good!"

"Idiots, be more careful." Raph huffed, but sounded like he was calming down. Leo had to bite back a smile. He's beginning to learn that Raph tries to put off this 'I don't care about anything' persona, but the way he sounded when Mikey was hit said otherwise. Leo was starting to think big bad Raph was just a big old softie on the inside. He liked that; being a good brother scored major points in his book. 

"Oh hey, I'm Michelangelo, but call me Mikey, okay?" The cheerful male introduces himself to Donnie. He's been so quiet, Leo almost forgot his brother was there. 

"Donatello, but please, call me Donnie." He replies easily, Leo hears them shake hands. 

"And this big ol' grump is Raphael–"

"Raph. Raph is fine." The said male cuts in. Mikey starts to laugh, for whatever reason Leo can't find. It feels a little weird having his brother meet friends he literally made two days ago, but he figures it was bound to happen eventually anyways.

"Dudes, our names though. It's like we were all destined to meet or something!" He says, grin ever in his voice. "Michaelangelo, Raphael, Leonardo, and Donatello. It means our friendship is meant to be!"

"That or our parents just hate us." Raph cuts in. 

"Raph no, like me have this." Mikey whines. "It's fate. Deal with it."

"It ain't some destiny crap mombo-jumbo!" Raph insists.

"I tend to look on the more logical side. Our meeting is most likely coincidence." Donnie joins in. 

"Hey, that's not fair! Don't gang up on me like that. Leo, bro, back me up here." Mikey begs. 

Leonardo pauses, unsure of what to say. After giving it slight thought, he replies, "I like to believe everything happens for a reason, and what we do with what's in front of us determines what happens next." 

"See guys, Leo agrees; fate!" 

"Just can it already, Mikey."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the super late update, but look! Two chapters! Ha ha...
> 
>  
> 
> I'm literally garbage why are you people still here. TuT


	5. What do you see

They stood together, the four of them, and talked for what felt like hours. Leo idly listened to his brother and Mikey talk back in forth to each other. The two seemed to really hit it off. 'Good, Donnie could use more friends.' He thinks quietly to himself. Though he supposed the thought might make him sound like a bit of a hypocrite.

"Dude!!" Mikey shouts suddenly, sounding distracted by something. Leo feels Donnie being jerked away from him and he hears the two run off somewhere, much to Donnie's loud protest. Where they were going, Leo had no clue, he just hoped it was ok. When he heard a scoff of disapproval next to him, he remembers Raph is still there as well. He didn't mind though, and they settled into a comfortable silence. 

Until Raph broke. 

"What do ya see?" Raph asked suddenly. The way he spoke made it sound like he's pondered on the thought, but finally decided to ask. 

"Nothing, I'm blind." Leo replied blankly. The other male responded with a click of the tongue and a mumble of 'You know what I meant'. But what else was Leo supposed to say? Raph might as well ask a deaf-impaired person what they hear. There was a pause, the male beside Leo seemed to be thinking his question over before refrazing, "Is it like blackness everywhere?" 

Leonardo sighs, knowing where the conversation was going. "No, I don't see colors. There's no white or black. Just light and dark." He explained carefully, like it's been rehearsed, as if it's the same speech over and over again.

"What's da difference?" Raph asked. Leo takes a small mental note of how their shoulders press against together.

He bites the inside of his cheek in thought. For once, he didn't feel frustrated having to explain what it's like– something he's had to do more times then he'd like. It was hard to explain the concept of blindness to someone who's never been blind before, no matter of many times he's had to try. "There's no black and white, just the presence and absence of light. No shadows. No shapes. In a room I may be able to pick up on if the light of sun is coming through the window, but that's it. I can't tell the difference from different lights, like from a lamp to a flashlight, but I can tell there is light." 

The other just gave a short hum as an answer. Leo wasn't sure if his explanation helped and if Raph understood anymore than he originally did, but he didn't ask. Things went silent between them again, but it was peaceful still. Leo stared up at the direction of one of the Sakura trees in front of them he had been touching before the others had shown up, wondering how tall it was. 

"What do you see?" He asks, voice softer. 

"Hm? Ah, I see trees, grass, 'n' people." Raph relies.

"What do they look like?" Leo presses. 

"...Like trees, grass, 'n' people?" 

"Describe them." 

Raph sighs, almost frustrated. "Okay, uh, the trees are big and brown and pink, but some are brown and green. The grass is green too, and short; someone must have cut it recently. The people 'round here are just mindin' their own business." He finishes awkwardly, massaging the back of his neck. "I ain't very good at d'is." 

Leo nodded, but seemed content non-the-less. "Thank you. You did ok. Where did Mikey and Donnie go?" 

"Dipstick dragged him ta some food stand." The other explained, Leo could practically hear the eye roll in his voice. "Rocks-for-brain's has a black hole for a stomach." He comments under his breath, but it sounded more affectionate then he probably wanted it to be. 

They end up talking a bit more, it's idle but not causal. When their brothers come back, something is pressed to his lips with high encouragement for him to take a bite. So he does. The food has a assortment of meats, bread, cheese, and something else. Onions? Probably. 

"It's a chili cheese dog, Bro!" Mikey supplied, before taking a large bite himself. He handed the second one he had to his brother, "Got you one too, Raphie-boy." The said male grunts, but excepts it anyways, taking a bite out of it. Donnie nudges Leo in the side to get his attention. 

"We can share one, I won't be able to finish mine on my own." He explains. Leo nods and opens his mouth for a taste, knowing Donnie wouldn't be pleased with the act. He still gets a bite though, if not with a grumble of how he's too big to be fed. They decide to walk around in the park and talk for a bit, snacking on the chili cheese dogs. Unlike Mikey who practically inhaled his in one go then nearly begged for Raph's, who repeatedly shot him down. Donnie and Leo; however, weren't as thick skinned to the younger male's whining and puppy eyes and ended up forking over theirs. 

Leo listened to the group conversate between each other. Apparently, Mikey's dad had proposed to Raph's mom, who said yes. At first the whole situation was hectic; moving into a bigger place, learning to live with each other, and settling into it all. It was only months later did things begin to fall into place, but the family still had their moments. Leo thought it was pretty natural though. No household was perfect.

Unsurprising, Mikey was a lazy saturday, pizza, and video games kind of guy. He liked all kinds of toppings on his slices (some of which Leo swore weren't normal.) When he wasn't stuck in front of the tv or some comic book, he was out skateboarding. One of the best things, in Leo's opinion and Raph's ultimate dismay, he found a fellow Captain Ryan fan in Mikey, who practically beamed at the new found information. His new companion even promised to introduce him to more classics he thought Leo would like. Because Mikey believed 'it'd be a crime not to and he's too cute to go to jail'.

Raphael was more... Truculent and self-reliant in a sense. He's not good at handling others and likes to be alone when people tick him off. And it sounds like people tend to tick him off a lot. He likes going to hockey games and watching wrestling with his step-dad. When he's not beating up the punching bag in their house's workout room, he just might be found working on his motorcycle, if not riding it. The thought of Raph owning one both for some reason surprised and quietly awed Leo. He could hardly imagine how it felt to be on one of those things. He can't even remember the last time he was in a car or any vehicle of the like. He can't put a foot in one without thinking about tires screeching in sudden protest, a horn blaring warning, screams of people around him, and then the darkness that follows, then... seeing nothing ever again. 

He shivers at the memory and tucks the thought away before it becomes a bigger problem than it already is. 

When they decide to call it a day hours later and spilt ways, Mikey makes sure to give his and Raph's numbers to Donnie. Telling them to call or text for whatever reason or no reason at all. Raph bumps shoulders with Leo, telling him he's free if he wants to call him. The gesture makes his heart do a weird skip. The way the hot-head said it sounded more private, like the offer was only for him, nobody else. Leo smiles and nods, silently promising to do just that. The two leave then, Mikey giving the loudest goodbye of them all. 

Later, the same day, after dinner, Donnie doesn't seem too against the idea when he asks him to call Raph for him. 

 

 

 

The two of them talk the rest of the day on the phone, but he doesn't really notice until they hang up and it's time for bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for the super late update, but look! Two chapters! Ha ha...
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> I'm literally garbage why are you people still here. TuT


	6. Movie Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are a lot of mentions of different movies, but I think it's fairly obvious I own none of them.

Leo sighs in irritation as he hears Donnie's cell phone go off once again from across the room. He sets down the book he had been reading, The Three Musketeers, after laying the bookmark into place between the braille pages. He's already read it more than twice, but it's a classic that suck to him. Getting up off his bed, he shuffles over to the phone, snatching it off their old faithful desk (it's survived this long), and scampers down the stairs. Enough was enough, who messages someone so late anyways? "Donnie?" He calls once he's at the bottom step, getting a distracted 'Here' from the kitchen. 

Setting the phone down on the  table they eat at, he frowns in disapproval. "It's 11 'o clock at night, Don. What are you still doing up?" 

"You're still up." The younger brother comments, but answers the question anyway. "I'm just finishing up some homework. Dad needed me to mess with the tv today for a bit, you know how it gets sometimes. So I didn't have time til now. What were you doing?" 

Leo makes his way over to the kitchen counter and starts making some coffee for the poor guy. "I was reading." He replies, turning on the coffee maker. "Your phone kept binging, someone keeps messaging you." The other 'Hmmm'ed, but Leo didn't hear him check it. "It could be important." He continued, getting out a mug. If anything to stop hearing the stupid thing every five seconds. The was another annoying 'bing' from said device with a slight vibration against the table, just to spite him. 

The younger male sighed, but picked the out of style cell up and looked over the messages. "It's Mikey whose texting me." He announced, like he should of known. 

"Who else?" Leo asked, setting a now freshly made cup of Joe down in front of his brother. 

"No one. Just Mikey. All fourteen times." He drawls out tiredly. He yawns a second later. "He wants to know if we want to hang out tomorrow at his and Raph's dwelling. Apparently their parents will be out, though I really don't understand why that was an important detail to add." Leo almost snorts at him, but refrains from doing so. Even though part of him wants to point out no seventeen year old uses the word 'dwelling' so causally. 

"Do you want to?" He himself doesn't care either way personally, it's whatever Donnie wants to do. Now that he thinks about it though, this will be the first house he enters that's not his own in years. Hopefully he won't run into too many things. He holds in a wince at the thought of tripping up stairs or stomping his toe against furniture. It's never too fun to find his way around new areas. 

Donnie shrugged, "Sure, it'll be Friday so I won't have to worry about any school work." Leo hears him yawn once more before taking a sip of his coffee. Conversation dies down after that, Leo opting to listen to Donnie work. He lets his mind wonder what Mikey and Raph's house is like. Is there any stairs? Do the brothers share a room too? How big is their kitchen? How many rooms do they have? Do they use any fragrance spray? He hopes it's not the cheap two-dollar lemon scented kind, that stuff irritates the crap out of his nose. He mentally shrugs after a while, he'll find out soon enough.

 

____________________________________________

 

 

He's not nervous. He's not. Maybe a little anxious at the most. They've hung out with the set of step-brothers for weeks now, but this was the first time any of them spent time at each other's houses. Leo stands next to his brother as the said male rings the doorbell. It isn't a second later Mikey is throwing open the front door and greeting them loudly, "Yooo hey guys, you made it!" He sounded as happy as ever. "Come on in! Mi casa es tu casa bros." If Leo could see, he imagined the excited host sporting a bright grin. They entered the house and took off their shoes, a custom they always did at their own home, so it seemed like the natural thing to do. Suddenly, an delicious aroma hit Leo's nostrils and he subconsciously licks his lips. He almost doesn't hear Mikey call for his brother.

"Aye Raph, they're here! Come on down!" Leo feels a hand on his shoulder. It's Mikey's. "Hope you guys haven't eaten yet, 'cause we've got the food of all mankind in the kitchen! PIZZA!" He exclaimed, leaving the two brothers in the dust. "Come on!"

Leo hears someone come down the stairs then. "Better hurry if ya want any, Numbskull can eat an entire pizza himself if ya let 'em." Raph warns, making his way to the kitchen. Donnie grabs his hand to lead him, but he politely takes it back. He can do this himself. Instead of pressing like he normally would, Donnie lets him be, heading to the kitchen without a sound.

Leo followed the sound of everyone, outstretching his hand so he finds a wall and sticks close to it. He knows he's reached his destination when a plate pokes him in the chest. "Here, grabbed you a slice. Mikey took half of da pizza already." Raph told him. He took the plastic plate gratefully, and nodded a thank you.

"So dudes," Mikey's voice came from across the room, sounding like he was between eating and talking, "Wanna watch some movies? We've got, like, tons so take your pick." The group moves back into the living room and Leo sits down in the middle of the couch next his brother. The spot next to him was occupied next, the couch dips slightly under the weight. It had to be Raph, because Mikey was next to the tv going through all the dvds they had. 

"So we got Big Hero 6, Jurrasic World, Pirates of the Caribbean, Fight Club, Batman: The Dark Knight Rises, all the Spiderman movies, Superman, Thor, The Incredible Hulk, Ironman– okay so like every superhero movie ever is on the table basically, uh, we got Silent Hill, all the Toy Story movies, Transformers, some WWE movie–" He makes a grossed out sound of disapproval at it before continuing, "And so much more." 

"Donnie likes the movie Wall-e." Leo cuts in, earning a jab of an elbow at his side for embarrassing said male. He smiles like a little shit and Raph snorts beside him. 

Mikey chuckles happily, "I like the movie too! Wall-e is the man-- guy-- robot. He's just cool okay?" Leo listens to him mess with more dvds before speaking up again. "Dudes. Marley and Me." 

"No." Raph snaps angrily, surprising the crap out of Leo. 

Mikey whine's, "Oh come oooon."

"No." The other repeats.

"What is wrong with Marley and Me?" Donnie asked, bewildered along with his brother. 

Mikey just sighed. "It's just a sad movie, but it's a GOOD movie." He explained.

"We ain't watchin' it." Raph commands, as if that's that. 

"Raph cried the first time we watched it." Mikey told them, snickering. 

"I fuckin' did NOT." The older male denied hotly. Leo bit is lip to hold back any laughter. Beside him, he felt Donnie tremble as the brunette tried to muffle his own chuckles.

The blonde on the floor laughed. "You so di–" 

"Move on ta the next option before I take d'at dvd 'n shove it where the sun don't shine." He warned sharply. It'd be more scary if he didn't sound so embarrassed.

"Okay okay, so we got The Fault In Our Stars, The Notebook, Mean Girls, The Proposal, Pretty Woman, How To Lose A Guy In 10 Days–" 

"Those are all of Mom's movies, look for something else." Raph interrupted him.

"Well it's not my fault you guys jam your movies just anywhere! We all selected what selves were ours for a reason!" Mikey defended himself. He huffs, but goes back to listing off movies. "How about The Incredibles? Or Hugo? Come on guys, somebody please pick something." 

"Leo likes Star Wars." Donnie threw in, this time getting his own jab in the side. Leo huffed, feeling his cheeks warm a bit. 

Mikey chuckled, "I like Star Wars, but Star Trek will always have my vote." 

Leo feels Raph get up and move over to where Mikey was with the dvds. He takes a few movies and moves back over to Leo, squatting in front of him. "Okay, Leo's going to choose. I have four choices in my hands. Pick one." The blind male does, poking a random one one with his finger. A second later Raph got up and started putting the dvd in. "We're watching the Voltron movie." He announced, sitting back down. Leo wondered what the heck a 'Voltron' is, but he assumed he'll find out soon enough.

"Oh my god, dudes!" Mikey busted out, "We need popcorn! Who watches a movie without popcorn? Be right back!" He promised, practically running into the kitchen. Leo rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. 

Raph nudged him, getting his attention. "You alright with this?" He asked. Leo nodded, answering honestly, "Yes, I'm fine with just listening." He takes a bite out of his pizza, immediately enjoying the taste of bread, cheese, tomato sauce, and sausage. They don't have much of this at their house.

Mikey had came back with a bowl full of popcorn two minutes into the movie. All the pizza was eaten before 10 minutes into the movie. And apparently, Leo learns, Voltron is a giant robot. 

At least, he thinks that's right. It's hard to say when you fall asleep 45 minutes into the movie.

 

He's more sluggish on the way home than he'd like to be, but he doesn't mind. He forgotten what it's like to hang out with people who aren't related to him. Usagi had moved back to his home country as soon as he graduated high school and he hadn't seen or heard of from Spike ever since then either. Sure, Usagi and Leo called and emailed each other when they could, but contact had been growing more and more scarce lately. It hurts, Usagi was his best and only real friend, but he understands. Usagi is in college in TOKYO; which can be even busier than New York. He's made good friends there, more than he had here. He's back to a place were he can speak in his naive tongue and have more then a selective few understand him. He even has a girlfriend now too. Every time they've spoken to each other he's sounded so HAPPY and PEACEFUL. 

 

And, well, who is Leo to interfere with that?

 

He then thinks of Mikey laughing at inappropriate times during the movie and hogging the popcorn. He thinks of Raph throwing his pillow at the blonde when he got too loud. He thinks about Donnie pretending to be too mature for their antics. He thinks about how cramped it is to have four people on a couch, but no one moved. He thinks about how Raph had his arm rested on the back of the couch and how his fingers brushed against his shoulders on occasion.

And Leo smiles.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I have no idea if there's actual a Voltron movie, sorry. I know you can get episodes from different tv series', but that's it.
> 
> *So this is kinda just a filler chapter. I just wanted to do one were they all hang out. Is that so wrong? I felt conflicted with this chapter though. I don't believe it has the same flow as the others and the characters are a bit more ooc. That bugs me. But I've already rewrote this once, looked it over and checked it more than four times and I've tried to fix it. I promised a chapter before the new year. Also, I went back and edited the first chapter a tiny bit. I hope this chapter is alright with you guys.
> 
> Happy New Years everyone!


	7. Something Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Raph and Leo finally... 'hang out'. Just the two of them. No big deal– it's not like it's a date or anything.

Summer came and went before anyone knew it. Leo didn’t have to see the leaves change color to hear them crunch beneath his feet. He didn’t have to be told it was getting colder to feel the cool wind nip at his nose. He didn’t have to know the schools had let out for fall break to hear the kids run up and down the apartment halls during the day or not wake up to Donnie rushing to get ready. Time passes by fast, but in the fall everything seems to slow down. Leo finds himself spending his time in books, trailing over the pages with his finger, spending time with Raph and Mikey, or listening to the audiobooks he has, the television, and sometimes Donnie when the younger male wasn’t busy. He still meditates at times; it helps him stay calm and relaxed. His old therapist thought it would, she was the one who first suggested it years ago.

Donnie spends the time a twitching mess. School is starting to get to him, Leo figures. Senior year is coming to a close for the youngest Hamato and college is on the horizon. They don’t talk about it at home. The simple word ‘college’ has become an unmentionable term in their house. Their father doesn’t force any conversion of it with either son. Leo brought it up once to Donnie, asking if he had any universities in mind. His brother didn’t answer, instead quickly changed the subject. College didn’t come up again. He isn’t stupid, he knows full well what’s going on. Why no one seems to want to talk about it.

Honestly, it upsets him more than anything else.

Donnie, his genius of a brother who could get into any school he wanted, doesn’t want to go to college, because of him. Well, maybe him and their dad. College would require moving out, getting a dorm, leaving them on their own. Leaving his elderly father and blind brother by themselves. Even if he stayed and took college online, college still takes time, still makes you move forward with your life. He’ll grow up and have to get─ hopefully not a job, but a career─ and move out eventually, he can’t live with them forever. Hopefully he'll meet a guy or girl and even start a family in the future, Leo thinks he’ll make a good husband and definitely a great dad.

He doesn’t blame Donnie for not wanting to leave his family. He sure as heck doesn’t blame him for being scared. It’s a perfectly healthy reaction. He doesn’t blame their dad either for not wanting to let his youngest son go.

But he won’t let his brother throw away his life for them. Donnie deserves to go on and find his place in life, not waste it away taking care of them.

He’ll miss Donnie, he will. Completely and utterly miss sharing a house, a room, and a life with him. Donnie will always be his brother and best friend, nothing will ever change that. But when it comes time for the ‘little bird to leave the nest’ or so to speak, he won’t let the little bird stay and risk forgetting how to fly.

 

And since the whole topic is too taboo in his house, he voices these concerns and opinions to Raphael.

 

“Well, I mean, the guy’s godda grow up some time.” The other agrees one day when it was just the two of them, all bundled up and walking around Central Park. “He can’t stay a little high school‘a forever.” Leo nods in agreement, knocking his cane gently from side to side as they walk. Even though he doesn’t really need to, he has his other arm linked with Raph’s, silently enjoying the small amount of the taller male’s offered warmth as he listens the other talk. "Even Mikey, he went n' got a part time job." He snorts. "Moron works in the party business." 

"Like in catering?" Leo sniffles quietly. The wind picks up slightly and he holds in a sneeze. Winter might be closer than he realizes.

"Nah, he dresses up in this turtle costume for kid's parties." Raph drawls.

"What about you?" He asks, leaning in closer as they make their way through the crowded city streets. He draws his cane off the ground and holds it against himself, relying on Raph as their guide. He thinks he feels the fellow New Yorker hold onto him tighter in response, but it might just be his imagination.

"Me? I'm a mechanic at a small shop downtown." He replies casually, shrugging. "It gives me somethin' ta do durin' the day more than anythin', and if I get paid for doin' it? Well, bonus." He then nudges Leo. “What about you? Any plans fer jobs, family, or marriage n' junk?”

The question made him think. He never really thought about his own future per se, as odd as that may sound. Now that it’s suddenly a topic on the table, he wonders, ‘What about me?’ He doesn’t see himself a college man. Maybe in a different time in a different place, but not this life. Job? He could get a job, a small one preferably─ more peaceful that way. Plus, he doubt anything big would want a blind just-turned-adult working for them. He’s not too sure on the whole family thing. His father would want grandkids, he knows, but he couldn’t provide that unless he adopted. As for marriage…

“I guess I could try if I love him and we're both ready.” The words roll off his tongue before his brain could keep up with what he’s saying. He unintentionally tenses beside the other, uncertain if just ruined their little outing.

But Raph just gives a sound of agreement, "Yeah, I know what cha mean. Dating is one thing, but marriage? Shit man, that stuff is serious. Gotta really know the girl or guy first." He snorts. "Then again, to some people nowadays it ain't like that at all." Leo lets himself relax again, trying to control the different kind of warmth spreading inside his stomach. They're still okay. It's okay if he won't date a girl, Raph doesn't care. Leo can't help the way his lips curl just the slightest way upward as he nods. 

They're very much okay.

 

They end up going to a small Japanese restaurant and vow to never speak of the betrayal to Murakami to anyone. One of the perks of the inability of sight, he's learned, is he can't see if they get any dirty looks. They probably look like a couple; walking into a nice enough restaurant, arms linked together and wanting a table for just the two of them. He denies himself of feeling any childish giddy feelings at the thought.

If they do receive looks, Raph doesn't let on or seem to care. Between the two of them it takes about ten minutes to order. It's not Pizza Gyoza, but Leo decides the Chicken Ramen they have is good enough as any. Raph ends up picking their Fired Pork Dumplings. The gruff man doesn't like tea to Leo's amusement, and orders a simple coke instead. 

Between sharing the occasional bites of each other's food and comfortable conversations, they have a good time. Raph tells him a few of his stories from work, and while Leo has zero interest in cars and how they work, he finds himself listening anyways. He doesn't pretend to be a car guy when Raph asks if his family had a car or if there's a type of vehicle he favors. Leo merely shrugs and replies he's not too big of a fan. 

"Oh yeah? Bet I can change dat." Raph challenges. The remark is cocky and playful enough to be light hearted, but Leo still frowns and shakes his head. 

"I will never step foot in any vehicle, let it go." He states, the tone having more bite than he intends for it to have. 

"Hey, ya don't have ta get pissy 'bout it, I was just jokin'." Raph snaps.

"I was not being 'pissy'." He quotes firmly, jaw tight and eyes narrowed.

They sit in thick silence for the next minutes that follow. Leo isn't sure Raph's refusal to speak is out of shock or spite, most likely the latter. He doesn't offer any words either, though he does mentally kick himself for being 'pissy', as the other called it. It wasn't fair of him to act like that. Raph isn't to fault for any of his reasons to refuse to go near a car. He probably should apologize, he is better then this. When he does go to that very thing; however, Raph beats him to it. 

"Okay." He says without anymore anger or sarcasm for once, surprisingly. Leo hears him pick up his fork, unlike Leo he chose utensils that aren't two little twigs, and starts eating again. "So have you heard about the new Star Wars movie?" 

And just like that the tension is gone and they're back to sharing the occasional bites and smooth conversations. 

 

When they're finished eating, Raph walks him home. 

"I'm sorry." Leo says once they reach his front door, because he can't hold in in any longer. He casts his head down in guilt. "About what happened at the restaurant, I was being immature." 

They're standing so close together Leo could practically feel Raph shrug his shoulders. "It's fine. Kinda realized I probably struck some nerve." Leo swallows and nods, but doesn't go to elaborate on it. Raph just huffs and ruffles his hair, much to the shorter male's distaste. "Ya ain't gotta tell me. Like I said, it's fine." He throws an arm around Leo and gives him a half-hearted hug. "Ain't gonna make ya." 

Relief washes over Leonardo as he nods in understanding. He wasn't sure if he even could talk about it honestly. Despite their fight, if the little argument they had could even be called that, he had a lot of fun today with Raph. Sure they argue and take light meaning sarcastic jabs at each other here and there, but he knows it's never truly serious. He enjoys Raph's company. A lot actually. He feels something growing between them; he's blind not oblivious. He just wonders what the next step will be and who'll make it. 

"Am I interrupting something?" A new voice breaks the silence. Raph, unexpectedly, slowly removes himself from the older Hamato, as if he's hesitant, instead of fully jerking away. 

"Don't you have homework to do or something?" He frowns at this brother by the opened door. He loves Donnie dearly, but at rare times he wishes he was an only child. Times like these. 

"Oh shoot, were you two going to kiss? Crap, I'll just– yeah, uh, I wasn't here. Um, my apologies." The younger stutters awkwardly and slams the door close in embarrassment. Beside Leo, Raph all but laughs. "I think we broke 'im." He jokes, slapping Leo on he back good-heartedly. 

Leo rolls his eyes before he sighs, realizing he can't stand on his doorstep all night. "I had fun, let's do this again sometime." He offers.

The other gives an agreeing 'Mmhm'. "Yeah, let's." He takes a hold of Leo's chin. "See ya around." He mumbles before kissing the side of the other's jaw, leaving the peck just at the edge of Leo's lips. Before Leo can register that– holy crap, he's being kissed. Raph is kissing him. The other male is pulling away completely with a snicker, walking away. "Sweet dreams, babe."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It took pretty much two months, but here you go. Annnnd we have development between two certain cuties. 
> 
> Please feel free to leave a comment or kudo. It helps. :)  
> Also, I'm sad to admit there's not many chapters left to write. I original started this for a tool to fight boredom, a work I can try new styles and gain experience from, and a mechanism to cope with stress. It's weird; while I'm a procrastinater at heart, writing does help. 
> 
> Thank you guys for sticking with this. I can't express how grateful I am.


	8. Surprise Visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Donnie sighs and Leo can feel the look he’s getting; the famous ‘I’m smarter than you and you’re being stupid’ look. “Now Leo, did something happen on your date?” He asks, pretending to sound more interested than he actually is.
> 
> “It wasn’t a date.” Leo denies. He bites his lip and sits up Indian Style. “Well, I had thought it wasn’t.”

Leo sighs happily for the fifth time that night as he lays sprawled out on his bed. He couldn’t fight back a smile as he buries his face into his soft pillow.

“So, just to satisfy curiosity, do you want a dairy for your birthday?”

“Donnie,” The teen groans, rolling onto his back, “Don’t you have homework or something? Be productive.” He chides.

“Well for one thing Leo, in case you seem to have forgotten, summer vacation means no school, which in turn means no homework. And I would still happily do something time consuming worthy, but it seems my older brother has miraculously turned into a teenage girl who sighs into her pillow every two seconds, ‘because she’s just so in love and he’s just sooo perfect.’” His brother mocks, making his voice a beat higher at the end. Leo has a suspicion their dad finally managed to suck one of them into watching his cliqué soap ropas with him. Hint: It’s not him. Donnie sighs and Leo can feel the look he’s getting; the famous ‘I’m smarter than you and you’re being stupid’ look. “This is me being the good brother I am. Now Leo, did something happen on your date?” He asks, pretending to sound more interested than he actually is.

“It wasn’t a date.” Leo denies. He bites his lip and sits up Indian Style. “Well, I had thought it wasn’t.” He hears Donnie type something on their braille keyboard laptop, researching something or reading some online article most likely. Leo felt a pang of guilt at the sound. When they first got it he felt bad, because they could only afford one computer and Leo needed the one where he can feel the small bumps to identify the buttons. Computers with braille keyboards costed more than their regular counterparts. It wasn’t just the computer. They had to pay a lot of expenses for him because of the accident. The physical, occupational, emotional therapy they went through, hospital bills, and much more. It left them struggling to just stay in the lowest level of middle class. All because he couldn’t stay out of the fucking street.

“What happened that made you second guess that it wasn’t?” Donnie asks, bringing him out of his thoughts.

Leo doesn’t say anything at first, unsure if he can tell Donnie, but there’s never been a time when he couldn’t tell Donnie anything so he spills the beans.

“He kissed me.”

“Then I’d say it was definitely more than friends hanging out. Though, I didn’t know Raph swung that way, if I’m being honest.” Donnie admits.

“He’s not like that, sorta. I think he likes both genders.” Leo contributed.

“So bisexual or pansexual.” Donnie affirmed.

Leo furrowed his brow in confusion, “What?”

Donnie sighs again. “Bisexual; when a person has romantical, emotional, and/or physical interested in both male and female genders, but tends to prefer one sex other the other. Pansexaul; when a person is interested in all genders equally. Or I suppose he could be Trisexual; when a person is interested in male, female, and binary genders or transgender. There’s more than just gay and straight. Like asexual and sexualities that branch off of it such as demisexual; meaning you only fall in love or have sexual feelings for a person you really know. Then that’s where a person can adapt more than one ‘sexuality’, by that I mean you can be, for example, demisexual and bisexual. You can like both genders, but you need to know the person more to pursue them. That's just one example, there’s way more sexualities than that, but you get my drift.” Donnie finishes.

It takes a minute to process all that his little brother just said. He’s not sure quite how to take it or how Donnie even knows all of this. He sounded like he had been reciting different texts he’s read before, which would mean he’s looked into sexualities, but why? Did he read into it when Leo came out to him? Or… or perhaps he had researched it before he even knew his brother was gay? Leo sat there, thinking over his words carefully.

“It doesn’t really matter.” He finally says. “All these labels and terms, I mean. I think the only reason people have them is because they feel the need to define something they don’t understand or can’t completely explain. You can’t limit or fully explain the way a person feels. I think labels make it easier for someone to point out others that are different from them, or a way for people to separate themselves from others who have different attractions then them. But that limits US. Sexuality labels shouldn’t serve as set in stone or inflexible rules in expressing what you feel or are attracted to. It’s never black and white, instead more of a gray. If you fall in love with a girl, that’s great. With you fall in love with a guy, well, that’s great too. We don’t always have to put a name to something, we can just let it be.”

“Did I make any sense?” He asks after a minute of neither of them saying anything. It’s gotten too quiet for what they’re discussing, he thinks. It’s unnerving at best. He feels a new weight sink into the mattress next to him then the person flops themselves onto their back. “If it did,” Donnie responds, “You just flushed months of research and pointless stress down the drain. Thanks Leo.”

“Any time, Donnie, any time.” He smiles, hearing his brother huff in pretend irritation beside him. 

 

 

______________________________________

 

 

An hour later, they’re in the middle of a The Big Bang Theory marathon when there’s a knock at the door. The two sit up right and Donnie mutes the tv. Their dad was out at the moment, but he obviously has a key. It’s a little odd, and kind of sad now that Leo realizes, but they hardly have visitors anymore. Usagi had came over once or twice when he was around, and Leo vaguely remembers a time Donnie had brought over a lab partner to work on an assignment together. Their father had offered him to stay for dinner, but he had declined, stating he had to get home before dark. He never came back and when asked Donnie explained they weren't really friends, just partners for a project once. 

The second knock snaps Leo out of his thoughts and he listens to his brother stand and make his way to answer the sound. “Hello?” Donnie greets as he opens the door.

“Dudes! Oh thank god, I was starting to think I had the wrong house! That would’ve been so awkward,” The person laughs, “Can I come in?” And just like that all tension leaves the room as Mikey’s cheerful voice booms out from the doorway. A few feet away from him, Leo hears the front door close and Donnie tell him to take his shoes off at the mat by door. He pats around on the table to find the remote, then thumbs over the buttons until he feels the mute/unmute and presses it, bringing back the volume. They’ve missed a few minutes of the show, he’s not completely sure what’s going on anymore. Suddenly someone flings themselves onto the couch cushion next to him and he bounces slightly at the new weight. “What are you guys watching?” Mikey asks in his ear.

“Big Bang Theory.” Donnie answers.

“Laaaame, you guys are nerds. Can we watch something else?”

Instead of acknowledging their guest this time; however, Donnie asks his brother, “Did you invite him?” Leo frowns, confused, and shakes his head. He thought Donnie had. 

Unoffended, Mikey laughs, "Hey, do friends really need to be invited over anymore? Besides, I wanted to hang out with you guys today! It's only fair." 

"How is it fair?" The other high schooler indulged. Leo's noticed Donnie, surprisingly, isn't usually put off by Mikey's endless amount of questions and unique logic. In fact, he entertains Mikey's ideas more often than not, adding his input once in a while. They're both in the same grade so sometimes the two hang out at Mikey's place or somewhere else. Leo smiles at the thought of his brother having a friend in his grade.

“'Cause dude, Raph got to hang out with you guys a few days ago without me, the traitor. Besides, everyone needs a daily dose of Mikey. Simple science.”

“Agree to disagree.” Donnie teases. “And more accurately, Raph only hung out with Leo, not me.” He then asks their guest if he wants anything to drink and gets an enthusiastic response of, “Soda!”

Mikey sighs dramatically, “Well can’t be helped, my bro’s always gonna be rude.”

Leo starts to wonder if everyone in Mikey and Raph’s family are like this.

 

They end up settling down and picking a movie all three of them agree on. It wasn’t too hard, they just had to find a syfy movie with intricate plot and a lot of explosions. During the first twenty minutes Leo could have sworn he felt something vibrate against his thigh, but no one else acknowledges it, so he doesn't say anything. He just chalks it up as his imagination. 

After that was some romcom with a weird name, followed by a sad movie that ended with the main character dying at the end. It was a bit cheesy for his taste, but their guest had seemed into it. Maybe a bit too much. By the time the credits where rolling, Mikey sounded in tears, sniffling loudly. He had stolen the pillow on Leo’s side of the couch to hug sometime around the middle of the last movie. Leo had been given the, now empty, popcorn bowl to hold in exchange. He whines, asking why the man (Leo honestly forgot their name. Maybe it started with an C or something?) had to die. 

Leo felt the male beside him move, followed was a soft grunt that sounded oddly Donnie like. It was almost like Mikey had wrapped his arms around him. "Bro, why do they have to do that! Who just kills the main guy off like that? Jeez, that's stupid." Mikey complains, voice muffled. 

"Hollywood does it to make the movie more emotional and to play on your humanity, that way more people want to watch it. Which equals more money for them. It's the oldest scheme in the book." Donnie reasons, ever the voice of logic. 

"Yeah well–" Mikey pauses as if he began to say something, but doesn't know what to say, so he just huffs. "It's stupid." He reiterated. 

Donnie starts to respond, but Leo's attention is stolen by the vibrating sound again. "What is that?" He asks, unintentionally cutting his brother off mid-sentence. Mikey shifts again, digging into his pocket. "Just my cell dude, probably Mom or Raph." Seconds later the vibrating stops, but Mikey doesn't say hello. 

"Why didn't you answer it?" Donnie asks, voicing both their thoughts. He hears their guest sigh. It's not dramatic or exaggerated, just tired. It's a bit surreal to hear it come from Mikey. 

"Okay so, my surprise visit might not be from just wanting to see you guys." The other confesses, bringing his legs up and folding them to his chest. "Me and Raph might've gotten into a fight." 

"Is everything okay?" Leo asks, because that's all he can think to say. 

"Yes, no, I don't know. Kind of? I mean we didn't hit each other or anything. Just sort of yelled a lot." 

"What did you fight about?" Donnie cut in. 

"Ugh, I... can't really remember how it started. We fight like, all the time. I know Raph loves me and I love him, he's my broth'a from a different moth'a and all that. We just butt heads. I mean one minute we're planning on ordering take out the next I'm teasing him, he's getting mad, I do something to further annoy him, he either slaps me upside the head or gives me a nuggie, we yell at each other, and then I'm making a dramatic exit proclaiming how I'm never coming back. Yadda yadda yadda. And I know I'll probably be home before the day ends." He snorts and adds, "Oh, I guess I do remember what happened." 

Leo sits quietly, waiting to see what his brother will say. Knowing Donnie, the gears inside his head are turning overtime. He's probably already assessed the situation and thought of multiple solutions to the problem.

"Have you tried answering his call and making up then?" And there he goes. 

Mikey groaned, "How about not and say I did?" 

"Mikey, it's important to make up after a fight. You shouldn't walk away from a situation mad. You two are brothers now and you shouldn't run away from your problems." Leo apprises. 

"Now you're just sounding like a fortune cookie." Mikey huffs childishly.

"Michelangelo."

"Oh no, the whole disappointed usage of the full name tactic, really Leo? Ugh, fine, okay. I'll make up when I get home, okay?"

"It's good enough." Leo nods.

Donnie makes a small noise of a 'Hmmm', like he does sometimes when he thinks. "Well, that works." He agrees. 

Mikey gives a comical 'phew' and chuckles, "Can we go back to having fun now?" He asks, eager to move on. 

"Sure–"

"Oh, wait!" He cuts Donnie off and suddenly takes a hold of Leo's hands. "Hey, Leo?" 

The oldest jumps a bit at the touch, but settles, raising an eyebrow. "Uh, yes?"

"You're blind right? That means you can't like, see stuff." 

"That's typical how it works." Leo confirms with a confused jerk of the head. 

"So you don't know what I look like, right?" 

"No, I do not." Where were they going with this? 

"But um, could you see with your hands?" 

Leo blinks once. Twice. 

"What?" 

"What I think he means, Leo, is even though you can't physically see him, you could better understand what he looks like through other senses. Like touch." Donnie explains. 

"Oh." Leo says, finally getting it. "I suppose." 

Mikey makes a noise of excitement and Leo feels his hands being guided before soon he feels skin under his fingertips. Mikey's cheeks, he realizes as he moves his hands down to the other's chin. 'His skin is soft', he thinks. He moves a hand up and accidentally thumbs Mikey's eye. He jerks back, "Sorry!" But the other only laughs, retaking his hand and putting it back on his face with a 'It's fine!' So Leo continues. He moves one hand over to the male's mouth, finger tracing lips. Mikey was grinning from ear to ear. It suits him. He then moves his other hand up and into the messy curls of Mikey. His hair is thick and a bit greasy, but not too bad. 

"I'm blonde by the way, with blue eyes. Also, you can't tell, but I'm absolutely adorable." 

He hears Donnie laugh from the other side of the couch and Mikey easily joins in with it. Leo smiles and retracts his hands. Blonde hair, blue eyes, baby skin, and a nice smile. He mentally stores the information away. 

 

Good to know.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> BAM! New chapter in y'alls faces. I wanted to get more Mikey into the story, because "Everyone needs a daily dose of Mikey!" Or something. :/
> 
> Anyway, I'm sorry I can't update sooner. (My other story needs an update as well.) I know it can be harder to follow a story when the author only updates once a month. So, I wanted to thank all of you for continuing to read. Please! Leave a comment on what you think of this chapter, I love hearing from you guys! 
> 
> Til next time!


	9. The Color Red

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Deeper explanation in Leo's accident and finally a real kiss.

Friday night Leo finds himself back at the step-brothers home for another movie night. It's just him and Raph there this time, the host's parents out on a date and Mikey is spending the night at a friends. They sit on the couch, close enough to share body heat, but not enough to where they are quite touching. They're only an hour in, and it's going incredibly well so far, when Raph picks up the remote and mutes the volume. Leo would've been able to tell if he had just turned it off; the tv makes a slight noise as it does. "I have a question." Raph begins, "It's a bit personal an' ya don't gotta answer it if ya don't want to." Leo can practically feel him wanting to shuffle in his seat. He's nervous. Which makes Leo a bit nervous himself.

"Go ahead." He still encourages. He's open to at least see what it is.

"So have ya always been...?" The other trails off awkwardly, like he expects Leo to understand what he's saying when the other doesn't.

Raising a confused brow he presses, "Been what?"

Raph makes a frustrated noise before exhaling irritation. He's not good with emotional situations, Leo had quickly learned, but it's nice to know he's trying not to come off wrong and hurt anyone's feelings. "Ya know, have you always been... blind." The brash male finally finishes his question.

Leo sighs, he had been expecting this conversation soon or later. It was bound to come up. "No," He explains, "I wasn't. I was in an accident when I was younger and it ultimately ended up costing me my sight."

"How?" Raph asks, and Leo swallows the lump in his throat to continue.

"It's called cortical blindness. The visual cortex in your occipital lobe of your brain is the part that controls the processing of your visual information. I badly damaged my cortex through trauma to the head." He knew this much. Donnie had drilled it into his head, wanting him to know how scientifically he was blind. His brother wanted him to completely understand.

"How?" Raph asks again, this time more carefully, like he was stepping around broken glass barefoot. There's silence between them for a while. The last time Leo ever spoke about the subject was in a small office with a counselor at the desk, not that he could see any of it anyways. That was almost seven years ago and after four years of it, he stopped going to therapy. He doesn't like remembering those times.

He speaks up after a moment, voice quiet. "Do you know how easy it actually is to lose your sight? All you have to do is hit the back of your head wrong. It could happen because of a mere fall. You could just trip down the stairs, hit your head just right, and next thing you know you're in the hospital being told you lost your sense of vision."

"Leo..." Raph breaths, but stops himself. Not that it matters, the other didn't wait for him to continue.

"Sometimes you're lucky. Some people only have to deal with it for a couple of weeks at the most until their vision comes back. Some just days. If you're really lucky, it could even just be a few hours. But others, like me, they lose the ability to see forever. They don't get to see the people they love grow up. They don't get to know what they or their family looks like anymore. They don't get to be treated normally. Next thing they know they're weak in everyone's eyes. They feel useless. All because of one little mistake that ends up haunting them for the rest of their night. If they just didn't do that one little thing everything would be so different, would be normal."

Raph doesn't say anything back, he's gone so silent Leo wonders if he's even there anymore even if he didn't feel the other get up. He doesn't stop anyways. "At first you feel cheated, like something important has been stolen from you. You're angry. You're sad. But most of all... you're scared. It's TERRIFYING without sight. At least, at first. After awhile you learn to live with it, but... you still think about it. What does orange look like? What does they sky look like? What does pizza or ramen look like? What does your brother look like? Hell, what does my life around me look like?"

He's ranting at this point, he knows he is. He didn't realize how much had built up inside of him over the years. He can't stop now if he wanted to. "And everyone hovers over your shoulder. 'Here let me show you where your seat is.' 'Can I do that for you?' 'Here let me pour that for you.' I can pour my own cup of water." He bites out, suddenly growing more angry at the memories. "It's just so frustrating. I get that it's not wrong to except help, but–" He sighs, trying to calm himself down. "Did you know one time me, my dad, and Donnie had went out to eat with a friend of Dad's and their family, I sat next to his wife at the end of the table. At one point I had excused myself for the restroom and you know what she asked me? She asked me if she needed to get Donnie to help me to use the bathroom." He gritted out, his fingers curl into the hem of his shirt, trying to stop them from shaking. He remembers the humiliation burn deep inside his stomach as he told her no and had rushed to the bathroom like a bat out of hell. It didn't help that he tripped on a chair the way there. He was only thirteen at the time.

"That's fuckin' bullshit." Leo almost jumped at the angry voice next to him, it's the first time Raph had said something in a while. Leo's shoulders drop in defeat and he nods, because yeah, it really was.

He hears the other male let out a inhuman noise between a scoff and a growl. "Seriously, who da fuck does that? What a bitch." Leo nods again, still on the edge of another rant. He worked himself up and is having a hard time keeping a level head. Counting to a hundred isn't working very well.

Suddenly, a arm wraps around his shoulders and pulls him closer. He smells a faint odd mix of Axe, deodrant, metal, sweat, and gasoline. He knows the mixture should smell worse than it actually does, but he doesn't care and lays his head on Raph's shoulder, allowing the comfort. "I was in the hospital for a while." He mumbles into the other's shirt, feeling himself starting to relax. Raph holds him tighter, resting his chin against the top of Leo's head and gives a deep frustrating sigh as he's trying to keep his anger in check.

Raph hesitates, like he's not sure about continuing the subject, but then asks, "So ya got out of da hospital and then what? Walked around tryin' ta deal with bein' blind for the next few years?"

Leo snorts. If only that had been the case. "No, there was so much more to it then that. I had to go through rehabilitation to help regain any possible lost functioning besides my vision. A neuropsychologist ran so many tests on me. I had to go through physical therapy to make sure I had and could keep motor functioning, like with strength, coordination and movement, and balance. A speech consultant was brought in too, to make sure I had the skills of expression, comprehension, and communication. A social worker came to 'guide me and my family through' for a year or two. Dad and Donnie even had a year of therapy. I had to go for four years. It was a complete mess. I– WE were a mess." He admits, sighing. "Not to mention along with the head trauma I received a broken wrist, three bruised ribs, and a sprained ankle."

"Holy shit." The gruff male whispers into his hair. Their bodies now entwined together, having manoeuvred closer with Raph's arms around his waist as Leo sits practically in the man's lap, leaning his body against the strong chest with his own arms resting lazily in his own lap. Now he plays with the end of Raph's shirt, if only to keep his fingers occupied with something.

"At least I got to play the hero." He then adds after a bit, joking bitterly, burying his face into the taller male's neck in an attempt to seek further comfort. He doesn't remember the last time he's felt so emotionally drained or someone other than Donnie this close. Raph waits, rubbing the other's back in a reassurance for him to continue, but not verbally prying. "I was just eight when it happened." He confesses.

"Me, Donnie, and our dad, we were going to see the cherry blossom trees. My dad held our hands as he tried to keep us from getting separated. I remember a child with his mom near us, only maybe a foot away, he was holding his mother's hand as well. Under his other arm he held a ball, maybe they were going to the park too. The kid, I remember the kid had at one point dropped his ball. I had watched as he tried to get his mom's attention, but she wasn't paying him any mind. So I pulled away from my dad and ran after the ball. I thought maybe I could get it for him. When I had grabbed it, when I finally had it in my grasp, I heard my father shout and Donnie scream at me. And when I look up there's a car right there, inches from my face. I watch it ram into me and then all I can see darkness. And then," He takes a shaky breath, beginning to get choked up, "And then nothing ever again." He finishes.

He's never felt so drained and vulnerable, like he laid his entire soul out; bare, exposed. He takes a deep breath, but it comes all wrong again. Raph does what he can, rubbing in circles around his back and lets him let it out. Leo wonders how well Raph can feel him tremble beneath those fingers. He hadn't realized he was even crying until Raph reaches up and wipes the cool salty tears from his cheeks. The gesture is a bit awkward from lack of comforting experience, but it warms his heart no less. They continue to sit together like this, even after Leo's heartbeat and breath slow, growing clam. He's never understood how close contact can make a person feel so secure and content. He thinks he could fall asleep like this. "Sorry." He mutters, fighting back a yawn.

"For what?" Raph brushes a bit of his stray black bangs out of his face, but the effort is futile since they fall right back into his face. He sighs, the most blissful one he's ever heard pass his own lips.

"Breaking down on you like that."

Raph snorts, shaking his head with a huff. "Ain't a big deal, everybody's got their breakin' point." He assures the other. "Hell, if anythin' I always thought ya were strong." He admits, it sounds so soft how he says it, but Leo isn't sure he lowered his voice any.

Leo pulls away from him and sits facing him on his lap, straddling him. "You think I'm strong?" He asks, placing his hands on the other's chest. His face crinkles with disbelief, drawing his lips in a thin line in thought. Raising his arms higher, he brings his hands to Raph's face. His skin was smooth and soft, but not overly so nor as soft as Mikey's.

"Yeah, ya are. Ya here aren't ya? After all of that, you're here and you're still fightin'. Says a lot about you." The man holding him insists, "You're brave too; always pushin' yourself when you don't have to. You always try ta stand on your own two feet. It's somethin' to be proud of."

Leo bites his lip, feeling familiar warmth to his cheeks, but he ignores it. Before continuing his small search with his hands he asks for permission, "Can I?" He actually feels the nod he receives in his hands, and that's all he needs to begin tracing his fingers over Raph's forehead, ears, nose, and chin. His lips are chaste and dry, but running his thumb over them makes his heart flutter in his chest. He moves upward, going slow and gentle as his fingertips trail over the latter's eyes. He begins to ask what color they are, but Raph cuts him off. "Kinda a dark green, dat's what I've been told." He informs.

Leo nods, hesitating a few seconds on Raph's face before moving up to the other's hair. It isn't very thick, but naturally ruffled, almost soft as well. He doesn't even get a chance to ask before Raphael tells him, "Brownish red, Mom's more of a ginger than I am."

Leo smiles, small yet happy. Hands leaving his hair, he moves them down over Raph's neck and shoulders, stopping at his biceps. On response he feels the male flex them at his touch, causing him to let out a quiet gasp. Raph was strong, not overly muscular but toned. And very warm. "I'm a bit tan," The other chimes in, "Not very much, but I ain't pale." Moving on, Leo travels down the male's arms and meets the other's hands. Raph raises his hands, pressing them to his, spreading his fingers to mimic Leo's. Leo's is a meter longer, but slim while his is think. They're calist in some places and solid in grip. Moving their fingers between each other, the two lock hands.

Leo soaks it all in, feeling it all to his core. The feelings and textures, everything that makes Raph Raphael. He tries to remember one of the colors clearly, but he can't. Red, he tries to think, searching every part of his mind for the answer. The memory of it is too foggy, unable to find. His smile falls without him knowing. He can't remember red. Raph seems to notice his distress, "What's wrong?"

"I can't– Raphael, what does the color red look like?"

He feels the other pull their hands away to rest them at his hips, bringing him closer. "Red," Raph starts, choosing his words, "Red's heat, fire, burning, rage, strength." He lays a hand on the back of Leo's head, pulling him closer, their noses brushing against each other. "Red is also passion, lust, and love." He mutters to Leo's lips before pressing his own against them. They kiss gentle and chaste at first then deepen it. There's no tongue or hands wandering beneath clothes, but it still leaves them both breathless when they pull away. "You feel that?" Raph asks, pressing a palm to Leo's chest. His heart is beating fast against his ribcage, blood pumping a new pace, his entire body feels a lingering warm he wants to surround himself in, and he gets a rush of emotions that never have been so strong before. "That's red Leo." Raph states, drawing him in for another kiss.

Leo learns he loves the color red.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we finally figure out what the heck happened to Leo and his relationship with Raph progresses! I've had Leo's whole speech on the car accident wrote out and I decided it was finally time to add it to the story. 
> 
> By the way, before you get tired of me babbling (you probably already have let's be honest here), I want to apologize for the late updates, especially this one. Lately I've had some stuff going on in my life. I won't go into too many details just family issues, bad relationship problems (I'm finally out of it, thankfully), friend drama others have kept trying to drag me into, and school before summer let out (senior now) that all had me in a funk. I'm happy to say that now that a lot of it is cleared up, I should be back on track soon!
> 
> I'd like to thank each and everyone of you for staying with me. It means the world to me to have so much comments, readers, and over all support. You guys are the truly amazing ones here. Thank you.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry the first chapter was so long! I promise the rest will be shorter!   
> I am not blind, I don't know how it personally feels to not have sight, so please bear with me. I also (sadly) do not own TMNT. This will only be a few chapters. Thank you for reading so far! :D


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